As disturbed forests increase in protected areas in the tropics there is a clear need to assess their conservation values through studies of their vegetation and animal communities. However, Thai protected area managers lack data on how ecosystems respond after human disturbances. It was therefore the aim of this research to provide some guidelines to determine the changes in vegetation cover following abandoned settlement areas and the relationship between abandoned settlement areas and bird assemblages.

Secondary succession in tropical areas following recent human disturbances is becoming more common. This is particularly evident in regions of tropical rainforests, long valued by conservationists for their remarkable species diversity.